(1836–86) was a Hindu
sage who lived from 1836 to 1886.
Bengali mystic and saint who was a pivotal influence in the
resurgence of Hinduism in the nineteenth century.
Ramakrishna was born to a country priest and had minimal
formal schooling throughout his life.
He spent his adult life as a temple priest in the Kali
temple in Dakshineshwar, outside of Calcutta, where he kept much of his rural
simplicity.
Ramakrishna had been dedicated to the Goddess Kali from
boyhood, and he described himself as "intoxicated with God." He
searched and discovered the divine, initially via Kali, then through a number
of other religious ways, such as the theoretical Upanishads' abstract monism,
devotion to the deity Vishnu, Christianity, and Islam.
As a result of these encounters, he came to believe that the
inner experience was the same in all religious traditions and lead to the same
heavenly presence.
Despite his lack of publicity, Ramakrishna became well-known
in Calcutta's religious circles as a result of his affiliation with Keshub
Chander Sen, the reformist Brahmo Samaj's head.
This association brought him disciples who would spread his
teachings, particularly Narendranath Datta, better known as Swami Vivekananda.
See Christopher Isherwood, Ramakrishna and His Disciples,
1965, for a devotee's perspective; see Jeffrey Kripal, Kali's Child, 1995, for
a modern psychological reading.
